- Remineralised water is water taken back to almost zero, then rebuilt with natural minerals in measured amounts.
- Step one removes what shouldn't be there: heavy metals, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), uranium and other radioactive elements, pesticides, bacteria and the residue of acid mine drainage.
- Step two puts back what should be there: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and bicarbonates, the minerals water naturally carries.
- It's the new standard because you know exactly what's been removed, exactly what's been added, and exactly what you're drinking.
Remineralised water, in one sentence
Remineralised water is water that's been purified to remove almost everything dissolved in it, then had natural minerals added back in measured amounts before it's bottled. You'll also see it called mineral-infused water, or water with added minerals.
Water, the way the earth intended
Water was never meant to be empty. As it moves through rock, it gathers minerals such as calcium, magnesium and bicarbonates, and that's what gives good water its taste and character.
What the earth didn't plan for is everything we've added to that journey since. In South Africa, water now passes through mining land, farmland and industrial areas, and through sewage works and pipes that are failing. Along the way it can pick up heavy metals, uranium from gold mining, PFAS from industry, nitrates and pesticides from farming, and bacteria from untreated sewage. We cover what the government's own reports found in is South Africa's tap water safe?
You can't take water as you find it anymore. Remineralised water starts over.
Step one: take it to zero
The first step is purification thorough enough to take water back to almost nothing. That means removing:
- Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium
- Uranium, radium and other radioactive elements, found in South Africa around gold mining and in some natural groundwater
- The residue of acid mine drainage: the acidic, metal-laden water that floods old gold mines in the Witwatersrand basins
- PFAS, the "forever chemicals" now measured in South African rivers, dams and tap water
- Nitrates, pesticides, chlorine, bacteria and sediment
Reverse osmosis is central to this. It pushes water through a membrane so fine that almost everything dissolved in it stays behind. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations name it among the best available technologies for removing uranium, radium and other radioactive contaminants, and EPA research found that reverse osmosis systems can greatly reduce PFAS. Combined with other purification stages, it takes water to a clean, known starting point, whatever the source.
Step two: remineralise with natural minerals
Purification can't pick and choose. The same process that removes lead and uranium also removes calcium and magnesium. Water at zero is very clean, but it's empty, and it tastes flat.
So the second step rebuilds it. Natural minerals are added back in measured amounts, the same ones water gathers from rock: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonates, which are also known as electrolytes. This isn't a new idea, either. Water made by desalination is also very low in minerals, and it's routinely treated before it goes into pipes, usually by adding minerals back. The World Health Organization's guidance on desalinated water covers this step.
Why it's the new standard
- You know what's been removed. The water isn't relying on a clean source or sound pipes. It's been taken to zero.
- You know what's been added. Every mineral is chosen and measured, not left to chance.
- It's the same every time. The mineral profile doesn't change with the season, the rainfall or what's happening upstream.
- It's on the label. In South Africa, remineralised water has to state the treatment used and its full chemical composition, so you can check it for yourself.
- It tastes the way water should. Not flat like purified water, not salty or chalky like some high-mineral waters. Balanced, on purpose.
What a good remineralised water looks like
- Total dissolved solids (TDS) of roughly 50 to 300 mg/L: enough minerals to taste crisp and full, not so many that they dominate.
- A pH of about 7 to 8: neutral to gently alkaline, which usually means a soft, smooth finish.
- Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and bicarbonates all listed on the label in mg/L.
- A clear statement of the treatment, such as "reverse osmosis" or "re-mineralised".
Remineralised, purified and spring water, side by side
| Purified | Spring | Remineralised | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts as | Any approved water supply | An underground source | Any approved water supply |
| Treatment | Purified, for example by reverse osmosis | By law, only filtering, settling and carbonation | Purified to almost zero, then minerals added |
| Minerals | Almost none | Whatever the source holds | Natural minerals, chosen and measured |
| Same in every bottle? | Yes, but empty | Set by the source | Yes |
We go deeper on each one in spring water vs mineral water vs remineralised water.
How to spot it on a label
South Africa's Regulations Relating to All Packaged Water sort bottled water into three groups: natural water, water defined by origin, and prepared water. Remineralised water is prepared water.
A prepared water's label has to name the product "prepared water", state the treatment used (such as "re-mineralised" or "reverse osmosis") and list the water's full chemical composition. Nothing is left to the imagination.
Peak Hydration is remineralised water, made in South Africa. See what's inside or find it near you.
Questions, answered
Is remineralised water the same as mineral water?
Why is remineralised water called the new standard?
Is remineralised water alkaline?
- Regulations Relating to All Packaged Water, R718 of 2006 (as amended by R455 of 2010), Department of Health
- Acid mine drainage: release of the Central Basin's treated water, South African Government, 2014
- Best available technologies for radionuclides, 40 CFR 141.66, US Environmental Protection Agency
- Identifying drinking water filters certified to reduce PFAS, US Environmental Protection Agency
- Safe drinking-water from desalination, World Health Organization, 2011
